Checkmate
by TheChronicLiar
Summary: Pitch has always been one for games. If in battle or ball, he is one to twist the environment into one of his liking. He could get what needs to be done in other ways, but what would be the fun in that?
1. Killing Two Birds With One Stone

Prologue

Pitch looked at the chest board before him silently as he finalized his plan. It was simple enough to give him some cheap entertainment and harsh enough to make the Guardians rethink their way of living. Like many of his plans of battle with the Guardians, they would end up with him 'losing', but that was the way it had to be if he wanted those useless beings to do their jobs. He had probably left them to their own devices much too long. They have gotten cocky and treat other spirits down right deplorable. It should only take him a weekend to knock them off their high horses…He just hoped that after his 'defeat' it doesn't end up being more trouble than it was worth. For the most part it was. He should allow those imbeciles to cause their own demise, but he just couldn't bring himself to do it.

A soft neigh came from behind him. There was a twitch of a smile at the corner of his mouth as he turned around to face Onyx. She looked at him with her luminescent eyes as she shifted from one hoof to another. She was anxious, as she should be. The time was imminent and he was sure she was excited. They all were.

"It is time," Pitch said as he knocked over the black king chess piece. Onyx was practically vibrating in excitement as she lifted back onto her hind legs, neighing loudly before trotting over to him. He smiled at his nightmare as he ran a hand over her snout. She pressed against his hand, fully ready. "I believe it is time to visit an old friend."


	2. Its Begun

Chapter One: It's Begun

Pitch heard the music play from North's personal workspace as he traveled through the shadows. He didn't bother to stop himself from humming along. It wasn't like anyone besides his Nightmares would be able to hear him through the shadows anyways.

He moved behind the many yetis that were working hard at the toys that they didn't even notice the darkened shadows that moved around them. He didn't bother playing with the busy creatures and took himself to the base of the globe, where the shadows were darkest. It was the perfect place to view North's reaction. He ran his hand against the slowly moving sphere, feeling the smooth work of North's craftsmanship. It was a marvel in itself. It was a shame he would have to use it. With a push of his shadows, began to make the lights flicker on the giant. It wasn't hard, snuffing out lights was what he did best, but he had no idea if the shadows would leave any permanent damage.

Not so surprising, it took a several minutes for one of the large and extremely hairy versions of North to notice the oddities happening with the globe. He grinned as he watched one of the big oafs run, at probably what it considered fast pace for one of them, to where North was. The big thing nearly stomped on one of the elves. He doubted that would have ended well. If those monstrosities saw one of their brethren die because of a yeti, they may seek revenge. Poor revenge, but revenge never the less. It would be rather entertaining.

When a door slammed and was followed by the sounds of glass breaking and a strangely high pitched scream, he turned his attention back onto the task at hand. He didn't have time to be lost in his thoughts. A few of the yetis went to the panel, pushing this and that. Even some went to the globe to see if they could figure out what was going wrong, none spotting Pitch, but they soon back off when other yetis started to yell out some sort of ramble. Pitch had no idea how North was able to understand these creatures. It was mere moments before a large old man came into view. That was probably what they were talking about. He was probably a mechanic for them. Maybe North's son. Did North have a son? The man looked like him, but older and hairier.

"Shoo with your pointy heads. Why are you always under boot?" North's distinct voice came out of the man. There was no way that man's child could have his exact voice and speech. Pitch really wanted to think about how North had aged, but all he could think about was did the elves really have pointy heads? It would explain a lot.

"What is this?" North spoke again, dragging Pitch of his mental debate about elves heads. "Have you checked the axis? Is rotation balanced?"

_Show time._ Pitch used the shadows at the ends of the globe to send out his nightmare sand. He had them twist around the globe, making a vortex as the wind slowly picked up in the workshop. The sand slowly moved to the center and covered the globe before it all move straight to the top and spiraled quicker around. Papers and toys where moving, even the entire place shook. He took his hand from the globe and clenched his fist, making to disperse in an explosion like action with a low roar sending a delightful shiver down his back. Excitement filled him nearly to the brim. He was going to enjoy this part. His nightmare, Onyx, scurried across the floor, scaring all to see her shadowed form. He waited until she took his form into the air before he let out a dark cackle that echoed throughout the room as she moved around the globe before dissolving in the air, or at least that is how it looked to them.

Pitch bit back his own laughter as he watch North as he gave orders and sending out the northern lights. The man was practically frantic as he looked around for any sign of Pitch, but Pitch could see something else there. He could see the excitement in that man's eyes. Pitch knew North would enjoy a good fight after being locked up in the workshop for most of the year.

In a terribly good mood, Pitch slipped deep into the shadows until he was back into his own domain. He breathed in deeply and let out a low chuckle as he relaxed. This was the best part of his plans. It always was. His nightmares, obviously feeling his good mood, had moved their selves into his company. They clearly wanted something from him and who was he to deny them?

With a small chuckle, he petted the nose of one of the mares closest to him. "Go on, feed, but stay out of sight," he told them.

There were excited neighs all around him. A few brushed up against him, saying thanks in their own way before departing into the darkness. Soon he was alone, well not completely. One mare stood by his side. He turned to her, running his hand through her main.

"You did wonderfully today, my dear Onyx." She made a soft snort and moved closer to him. She pressed most of her weight against his side for only a moment. "You deserve to go out. Get your fill." He removed his hand and walked away from her. He paused and looked back at her when she pawed at the floor. "I will send word tonight," he answered her, knowing what she wanted to hear. "Go, enjoy yourself. I have a few more things to do before tonight." This will be one of the last times he would allow his mares to run wild for a while.

There was another snort before she too disappeared into the darkness. Finally he was alone. Maybe he too would go out and…feast. He grinned and plunged himself back into the shadows. He couldn't deny himself a treat either.

X

He plagued many children with nightmares over the years, but this night…this night he was going to enjoy it more than he has in a long time. It is a memorable time and he should treat it as such.

Pitch knew exactly when a new dream was formed. Dreams were best to corrupt when fresh. They tasted fuller and it made the child remember it. That just made him all warm and fuzzy in side. With a small chuckle, he formed through a darkened corner of a very brightly colored room, instantly making the room darker as the shadows stretched towards him longingly. Glancing over the room, he saw the… _large _amount of pink. He turned his eyes onto the only other thing that wasn't pink. He chuckled even more at the dream playing before him. So simple, but it was Sanderson's creation mixed with a child's mind. He didn't expect much.

Even without an audience to view his theatrics, Pitch continued the show. He so did enjoy a good play, even if he the only one to enjoy it.

"Oh, I thought I heard the clippity clop of a unicorn," he taunted towards the sleeping girl. "What an adorable dream." He was quite fond of horses himself. His eyes moved from the gold sand and to the young girl who looked so out of place with the cutesy room she had. Oh, he liked that. Girl after his own heart. "And look at her…precious child. So sweet." He could only speculate what they child acted like, but it was enough to know he'd make this quick.

"So full of hope and wonder, why there is only one thing missing," he said with a smirk as he leaned down closer to the girl's dream. "A touch of fear," he whispered as he walked his fingers towards the sand, laughing as he does so. All it took was for one finger to push into the side of the unicorn for it to become tainted. He watched delighted as his favorable nightmare sand consumed Sanderson's mess. The girl whimpered as she curled up in her blankets.

"That never gets old," he remarked. He moved his hands around the shifting sand, moving it, forming it, bringing it to life. "Fear, fear…come on. Come on, that's right. Yes." A low neigh came from the sand as it formed into a miniature nightmare. It moved around him, shifting affectionately against his neck. "What a pretty, little _nightmare,_" he said as he grasped the mare and moved her in front of him. He slowly moved his hands away, ready to stop her affections if necessary, but she stayed. "Now, I want you to go tell the others. The wait is over." With a push, the mare left him and went out into the night for all to see.

He barely glanced at the girl before he stepped back into the shadows. He reappeared onto the streets outside of the girl's house. He hid in the darkness as he looked up at the moon. A familiar tug pulled at him, telling him what he's heard a thousand times. He could be serving the Lunar Tsar with the man's knowledge of his doings. He could be one of his subjects again, but…where would the fun in that be?

"Don't look at me like that, old friend," he teased as he step out of the shadows and into the spot light. His eyes locked on the moon. "You must have known this day would come. My nightmares are finally ready…are your Guardians?"

Guest: Yes, it takes part in the movie.


	3. Tooth Palace

Chapter Two: Tooth Palace

With one finally look at the moon, Pitch turned away and moved back into the shadows. He didn't have time to play around, not matter how much fun it would be to anger the Lunar Prince. He had to get to the tooth palace before annoyance of a woman returned. He wondered if she had changed as well. North surely did, physically. It may be the same for that fairy. If so, he hoped that her voice had changed. It was so grating to his nerves. Hopefully she didn't talk about teeth all the time as well. That became annoying quickly.

It didn't take long to arrive at the tooth palace. The heat was fine, but he could do without the glaring light off of the overly shiny palace. And the roar of chirping was a downside. He speculated how much louder it would have been if he hadn't split his forces into gathering the fairies that were collecting the teeth, but it didn't matter. With a wave of his hand, his nightmares emerged from the shadows and quickly went to work on gathering the rest of the fairies and teeth. This was a great hassle, but he really wanted to shake up that woman's feathers. She was so much more tolerable when angry.

He didn't expect it to be long before Tooth arrives. She probably was on her way when her little mini clones noticed when others weren't returning. Or at least he hoped so. He didn't plan on staying here long, nor did he want too. This place was too…Tooth for him. He leaned against the gold and purple wall as he watched his mares pretty much eat Tooth's miniatures. It was delightful. Their screams mixed with the pure terror on their faces as they were eaten. It was nearly as amusing as the few fairies that tried to fight against the mares that were taking the teeth. He loved seeing that little bit of spunk in them, though it was all for not when the mare decided to just eat them along with the teeth.

Pitch looked around for any signs of Toothiana and still, she had not arrived. His nightmares had already collected all that was in the Tooth Palace and most were out searching the surrounding area. Did it really take that woman that long to return? He was just about to leave when he spotted her. It was hard to miss her reflective green self. He grinned. He hated to waste an opportunity, such as this, to taunt the woman. If he was lucky, the others would show. He then heard one of the mares cry out along with an over abundant sound of _jingle_ bells. Oh, he was just all kinds of lucky today.

He slipped back into the shadows and moved towards the noise to see the sled flying by, recklessly he might add. North already had his sabers out with some person holding the reigns. Whoever it was drove just as North. He couldn't place the person, but it didn't matter for North just sliced open one of his nightmares. He really wished to have had waited on one of his creations being destroyed. It always left a soured taste in his mouth.

The sled came to a rough landing on one of the wider circles of whatever Toothiana called these things. North quickly got up and cupped his mouth. "Tooth, are you alright?" he yelled.

Ah! The woman of the hour had arrived. And he, such a horrible host. He never noticed. Pitch put his attention on the frantic woman as she flew around in her hectic search for her fairies. She wasn't going to find them any time soon.

"I-they took my fairies. A-and the teeth. All of them," her voice cracked as she answered North. "Everything is gone." She slowly floated down to the floor. All but the one pulling the reigns went up to comfort her.

_How sweet,_ Pitch thought.

"Everything," she finished with such a broken tone that it sent shivers down Pitch's spine, but that quickly ended when a fairy came from the new comer and brightened Toothiana back up. He seemed to have missed a fairy. _Damn._ Well, now was as good a time as any.

"I'd have to say, this is very, very exciting. They big four, all in one place," Pitch began with his voice echoing throughout the palace. "I'm a little star struck," he continued as he walked out of the shadows and above them. He sent a taunting look down at them. Their shock was tantalizing. "Did you like my show at the globe, North? Gotch you all together, didn't I?" He couldn't help but grin more when North let out a small burst of anger.

"Pitch!" Toothiana squawked. Her feathers ruffled up as she flew at him. "You have thirty seconds to return my fairies." Pitch rolled his eyes and walked away, going into the shadows as he left her to fly around in search of him.

"Or what?" he said, coming out of the shadows of another tower. "You'll stick a quarter under my pillow?"

"Why are you doing this?" North asked.

Now that was an important question, though Pitch knew well enough that he was going to lie through his teeth. He usually did. "Maybe I want what you have. To be believed in." Now to add more into the drama. He moved closer to the Guardians, glaring at them as he came out of the shadows. "Maybe I'm sick and tired of hiding under beds," he grounded out through his teeth. A part of him stung at he said. Part of it was true. He didn't enjoy the backlash of his plans. No matter how important, he truly hated being looked down on. There was no enjoyment from putting part of the truth out there, but to lie great one must have a bit of truth in their words.

"Maybe, that's where you belong," that over grown rabbit voiced his unwanted opinion. Of course that stick up the ass had something to say. He really hadn't changed, even if he had gotten rid of that robe.

He rolled his eyes and moved below the damn fur ball. "Go suck an egg, rabbit," he spat, disappearing again. That rabbit was the one he truly disliked the most. If only he had killed him along with the rest of his god forsaken race, but sadly, that is in the past. Maybe if he got him neutered, he'd calm down? He smirked to himself amused, as he looked around for his next place to appear, but caught on the blue figure from before. He had almost forgotten about the person controlling North's sleigh. He looked over him and gathered what he could. Why, it was just a boy! A strange looking boy at that. Seriously, a hoodie with colonial pants? His eyes landed on the staff the boy held out defensively. He knew that staff…

"Hang on…is that Jack Frost?" he asked aloud, not meaning to. He did plan to ignore the new comer, but that's probably not going to work now. It'd just be rude after announcing him like that. "Since when were you all so chummy?" Why hadn't he heard of this before now? He usually kept an eye out for any new members of the 'club'. His plans didn't include the frost spirit. He had extra precautions if one of the other spirits joined in, but they weren't Frost. This could make things much more complicated than he wanted.

"Were not," Frost said as he looked for Pitch. A small bit of relief filled Pitch. He could tell the boy wasn't lying. That was one less thing he had to worry about.

He thought of being nice to the boy, but that wouldn't be the part of a villain. Also, if the Guardians' had the slightest thought that there was anything between them or if he had his eyes on him, the boy would never have them off his back. "Oh, good," he sighed, coming out of the shadows behind Jack. He relaxed against the bent frames of whatever it was. It looked a lot like a bird cage…huh. "A neutral party. Then, I'm going to ignore you." He pushed himself up and turned away, not even bothering to look at the boy. "But you must be used to that by now." Oh, that was mean of him. He could have probably done just fine without that being said. Curse his bad boy tendencies.

Pitch heard Bunnymund yell out his name with some sort of insult, but he didn't care. He slipped back down, only to reappear back somewhat near where he began. He wasn't even shocked when Toothiana took Bunnymund's boomerang and came at him. Her eyes were filled with such rage. It was exciting to have that much pure emotion directed at him. This was the queen he knew. THIS was what he wanted to see the moment she arrive to see her palace emptied. It was truly beautiful. Too bad it had to end.

Moments before she could make contact, nightmare sand rose up before him and Onyx rushed out to protect him. Her screech of anger and sudden appearance helped in adding to Toothiana's fear that was pouring off of her. He missed seeing that as well. It had been so long since their last battle and it had been even longer since he's seen those purple eyes blown wide in fear.

Before Onyx could run at Toothiana, and probably take a chunk out of the fairy queen, Pitch pulled her back. "Whoa, there! Easy girl, easy," he said in a slight singing voice usually calmed her. He ran a hand over her soothingly. And finally, the last person to taunt. "Look familiar, sandman? Took me a while to perfect this little trick." He glanced down at Sanderson to see the man glaring up at him. Finally, someone who hadn't changed. "Turning dreams into nightmares," he cooed while he ran his fingers over Onyx's head. It didn't seem to calm her. He sighed. If those Guardians kept up with that fear, he wouldn't be able to keep Onyx from attacking. "Don't be nervous. It only riles them up more…They smell fear, you know." A small insult, but he knew one of them will take the bait.

"What fear?" Ah, Bunnymund. You never disappoint. "You? No one's been afraid of you since the dark ages!"

"Oh, the dark ages." Pitch didn't have the heart to tell him that he was wrong, but that would only put their attention more focused on him in the future. "Everyone was frightened, miserable. Such happy times for me. Oh the power I wielded. But then the man in the moon chose you to replace my fear with your wonder and light. Lifting their hearts, giving them hope." He cared less for when this happened, but without their being something to help cope with the fear in the world there probably wouldn't be much of a human race now. They probably would have killed themselves off. It was good in the long run, but he didn't appreciate being made the scape goat. "Meanwhile, everyone wrote me off. Just a bad dream. Oh there's nothing to be afraid of. There is no such thing as the boogeyman. Well that's all about to change," he finished sourly. He had believers, but not nearly as many as he had before. He didn't need them for power, but it felt good to be seen. He would never lie about that. It hurt to have people that once were believers run through you. And that was what they would feel.

A slight ringing came from behind him. He looked to see the gold falling off the towers. "Oh," he murmured. He didn't know if he should be more shocked or pleased. "It's happening already."

"What is?" Frost questioned. Oh, he was still there.

"The children are waking up, realizing the tooth fairy never came. It's such a little thing, but to a child…" They stopped believing so easily. It was pitiful, but understandable. When you give children gifts to keep up their belief, then they are far more likely to give up on that belief when the gift isn't there when expected.

"What's going on?" Frost asked. He even looked ready to panic, but Toothiana had him beat on that. She already had that heartbroken look and only need a few more steps to break and then her panic would be worse than what he'd believe Frost could ever do.

"They…they don't believe in me anymore," Tooth said as realization dawned on her.

Amusing. "Didn't they tell you, Jack?" Pitch started. "It's great being a Guardian, but there's a catch. If enough kids stop believing, everything your friends protect, wonder, hopes, and dreams, it all goes away. And little by little, so do they." He believed he put his point out there. They needed to be reminded more often than he felt was necessary.

"No Christmas or Easter, or little fairies that come in the night. There will be nothing but fear and darkness," he stressed silently, but he doubted they were listening. "…And me…It's your turn not to be believed in."

Bunnymund, always the action man, threw his boomerang. Pitch expertly ducked as Onyx dissolved and moved under him. He grabbed onto her tightly as she jumped over the ledge. They flew down quickly as the Guardians' took Bunnymund's lead and started their attack. Pitch looked back just in time to make sure to move Onyx to dodge…eggs. Exploding eggs, but still eggs. He quickly moved to the dense shadows and disappeared. He wasn't about to fight them. Not yet.


	4. There are No More Sweet

Dear Ninuhuju, so far it will be from Pitch's view. And nice? I guess because he's funny and sarcastic that you haven't notice some of the darker themes he has spoken in. He can be nice, but he can be just as mean and horrible as ever.

Chapter Three: There are No More Sweet Dreams with a New Player on the Board

Those Guardians were different now-excluding Sanderson, that is. The others had changed greatly, much more than he thought possible. Though he wasn't sure if for better or not. He wondered if this would make things more interesting even though he'd eventually give up anyways on these games. But if they keep heading in this direction of theirs it would start to become a waste of his time. It would cease entertaining and become a chore, if he were to keep it on going-which he wouldn't.

Pitch mused to himself as he circled around his own globe. The lights were quickly going out as planned until they just stopped. Pitch paused his movements and looked closely at the European continent. "What is this…" he murmured and nearly reeled back when lights started to flicker back on. He began pacing rapidly around the globe as more and more lights returned. "The lights," he said, barely registering when one of his nightmares neared him. "Why aren't they going out?" He knew a child's belief was fickle, but this made no sense. He couldn't think of anything that would do this. Was Sanderson giving the children dreams to fuel their beliefs? It wasn't hard to believe Sanderson of doing such a thing, but dreams only go so far. Not even Sanderson should be able to reach this amount of children in such a short amount of time.

A neigh came from beside him, causing him to pause. "They're collecting the teeth?" He would be lying if he said he wasn't the least bit shocked. Probably one of North's infamously _brilliant_ ideas. He should have known the man would do something like this, but at least he had back up plans. Above the mini Toothiana's began to chirp. Pitch growled lowly as a headache started to form. "Pipe down! Or I'll stuff a pillow in you!" he threatened up at the birds. It would be very hard to stuff a pillow into those creatures-or anything for that matter-, but at that moment he was very willing to try. He'd either succeed or let them dying trying.

He sighed, thinking over what he should do when the nightmare snorted at him. Her words 'give up' sent a blaze of anger through him. He sent her a dark glare as he growled lowly. He was ready to lash out, but was disappointed to see his creation revert back into sand before he could even raise a hand. _A pity_. He pulled the sand into his palm as he frowned in thought over the Guardians and how they must be celebrating their tiny achievement. "Fine, have your last hurrah. For tomorrow, all your pathetic scrambling will be for nothing," he said as the familiar shape of Sanderson formed in his hand. He wished to avoid this-who was he kidding, he thought as he crushed the Sandman's figure in his fist. This was going to be fun.

X

Pitch sent out a few of the lesser mares to lure out the Sandman. Hopefully the fool would come alone. He'd rather not deal with all four if he could help it, but he would to get this done. For all he knew, this may end much more fun with the Guardians there to watch. He gave a low chuckle at the thought of how the Guardians would react. Dare he say-he was a bit giddy about what was to come. Oh, he dare say that. Who was he to hide from the truth?

He knew when his mares were closing in. Unfortunately, one had vanished, but they had at least brought whomever they had lead over close enough for Pitch to have an advantage. From the slight glow in that area, he could only suspect it was the Sandman. He would count that nightmare as gone for now. Hopefully, he was alone.

Pitch was about to move toward the glowing creampuff when he felt one of his creations…freeze over? _How can that…?_ Without much thought, Pitch made his way towards the area. It wasn't much further from him than Sanderson. He walked out of the shadows just in time to see Jack using his staff to poke at the frozen body of one of his nightmares. "Frost?" he muttered. He wasn't exactly happy to see the boy, much less to see that the boy had harmed one of his nightmares. _So much for a neutral party. _

The boy automatically jumped around to face him with his staff held out protectively. There was such a shocking amount of fear on the boy's face, not mentioning the amount pouring out of him. It was almost suffocating. Pitch nearly rolled his eyes as the boy shot frost at him. He easily dodged and slipped into the shadows and onto a higher stand point. He wasn't sure on how well the boy could fight.

"You know, for a neutral party, you spend an awful amount of time with those weirdoes," Pitch taunted. Part of him hoped that Jack wasn't on their side. There was something about the boy that kept him from bringing the boy into the fight. There was no way for Pitch to leave him unscathed. If he joined, it would mean the boy was fair game and there were a lot of weak points on the boy. "This isn't your fight, Jack," Pitch said as he gave him another chance to run. If the boy was smart, he would.

"You made this my fight when you stole those teeth!" Jack replied angrily as he pointed the staff threateningly at him. The boy could barely keep still as he waited for Pitch to attack.

Pitch looked down at him confused. "Teeth? What do you care about the teeth?" He mind ran quickly over any possible reasoning's as to why the boy would care, but he didn't have much time to think on it when warn bells rang in his head. A golden glow came from the corner of his eye. He glanced over, only to jump away from a glaring creampuff. He would be lying if he said he wasn't a bit surprised at the little man's sudden appearance, though he'll forever deny gasping.

"Now this is who I'm looking for," Pitch commented. Finally something was going according to plan. He barely had a second dodge before Sandman was sending whips of his dream sand at him. He had to bend himself in ways he hasn't for years. _That kinky bastard, why whips_?

There was a pause in Sandman's movements and Pitch took it as his time to attack. A sand made scythe formed heavily into his hands as he swung it at Sanderson. The creampuff, of course, dodged, but Pitch kept his attack quick as he blocked the whips. That was until the Sandman's whip wrapped itself around Pitch's wrists. He could feel a slight burn from the sand, but he ignored it as he was brought straight up into the air before being slammed back down onto the rooftop and then into a wall. And to make it even more over the top, Sanderson sent him flying off the building, hitting a car on the way down. The landing was rough-he had to skid to a halt. Pitch knew he would feel it for the next few days. "And I thought I was dramatic," Pitch grumbled lowly to himself as he pushed himself onto his back. He saw Sanderson and that frost child already moving on him. He wasn't so much worried about Sanderson attacking while he's on the ground, but that boy was a different matter. He looked ready to freeze him solid.

Pitch bit back his pride and held up a hand as he could while backing away. He wasn't up to defrosting himself anytime soon. "Okay, easy. You can't blame me for trying, Sandy," Pitch started as he used the short man's nickname. He mentally cursed himself, but he went on as he waited for his nightmares to get into position. "You don't know what it's like to be weak and hated. It was stupide of me to mess with your dreams," he said as he stood up. He looked at the man as sincerely as he could before he bowed his head and pointed at him. "So, I'll tell you what." His hand dropped behind his back and he looked up with an angry glare. "You can have them back," he said with a smirk.

A distant neigh came right before nightmare sand and mares came from the darkness and rooftops. Each and every one of his nightmares looked brilliantly terrifying. If only he wasn't the only one to appreciate the beauty of this scene. He climbed onto Onyx and had her move towards the two outsiders who looked at his mares warily. Pitch kept his face cold as he looked down at them. Delicious fear came from both of them, though Sanderson's was directed at the boy's safety. He shouldn't worry about the boy. "Boo," he barely said above a whisper.

The nightmares took that as their sign to attack and surround the two. Unfortunately, that was the same time that North's sleigh came from overhead. Pitch watch was almost about to be angered by their sudden appearance, but there seemed to be something off with the sleigh. It flew haphazardly above. In Pitch's distraction, Sanderson grabbed the boy and flew off into the sky. He barely notice when Sanderson tossed the boy off to the side in mid air. He kept his focus on the Sandman and watched as his nightmares swirled around the man in whirling mass. With a cackle, he reined Onyx into flying up. The adrenaline and excitement that filled him, kept any guilt or regret he would feel at bay. He had no room to feel anything remotely sorrowful now.

Onyx soon dissolved once he was close to Sanderson and formed a platform with a few other mares. He glanced at the other Guardians to see they were now fighting back and much better than he expected after earlier impressions. Too bad they were only bystanders now. His attention turned to Sanderson to see wasn't doing much better against his nightmares than expected. His small cloud of sand and those whips of his were doing little against the mares. _Poor fool,_ he thought as he drew back his arm. He could feel the tightness of his impalpable bow as a compacted arrow of nightmare sand formed. He took careful aim at the little man and then he released. The moment the arrow made impact; Pitch felt a pang in his chest. He was quick to push down that emotion and laughed. It was a dull sound. "Don't fight the fear, little man!" _It only made it that much worse. _"I would say sweet dreams, but there aren't any left," he said as he watched Sanderson turn. He inwardly praised the man as he raised his head and accepted his fate before being completely absorbed into the nightmare sand. Pitch had no idea if Sanderson would ever return, but he wouldn't get his hopes up. It was probably the last of the Sandman.

"NO!" a scream came from below. Pitch frowned down at the frost boy as he shot toward him. A sigh escaped his lips at the sight. _Another fool_.

"I might as well get rid of you too," he whispered and raised his arms. The black sand raised behind him before it descended on the boy. He knew the moment the sand touched the frost child. He waited patiently for the tell-tale sign of another death, but was met with an inhuman roar. He looked down at his sand in confusion. A blue light erupted from below as the temperature plummeted. In a moment, his nightmare sand began to frost over with a blue glow before it detonated in a powerful blast and sent him flying back. He cried out in shock and plunged toward the ground as his iced sand fell like snow.

The air escaped his lungs the moment he landed onto his back. Pitch stared up at the sky in shock. How did that happen? There was so much power in that boy. It was shocking, to say the least. To think, that boy was able to fight back like that!

It took him longer to get to his feet, but he eventually did. He walked out into the moonlight and started to laugh as he watched the Guardians disappear into one of North's portals. "Finally! Someone who knows how to have a little fun," he bit out. And it was fun. With another short laugh, he turned back around and slowly made his way into the shadows with his slowly reforming nightmares right behind him.

"Come now, girls. We have work to do," he cooed as he allowed the darkness to swallow him. There was a new player on the board.

Sorry for the late update. I've had many things to do. So many things. Awful things.


	5. Cat and Mouse

Chapter Four: Cat and Mouse

Searching for that boy's teeth took longer than he would ever admit. It would have helped exceedingly if he had his nightmares in the search, but regrettably they were in hiding within that fur ball's tunnels. They always choose an Easter egg hunt a search for teeth. Those beasts had about as much self-control as children when their sights are on those eggs. He had a suspicion it was the chocolate within the eggs. It was endearing, really, but more troublesome than it was worth. It made him wish for workers more like that bird brain's miniature clones.

By the time he found the teeth, he had steep incline of anger rise in him. He grasped the golden case tightly as he looked down at the smirking face. It looked at him tauntingly. Of course that wasn't true, but it surely felt like it at this point. He wouldn't doubt it if the cursed case actually hid itself from him.

He let out a small curse as he stomped away from the mounds of teeth cases. At least now he had the boy's teeth within his grasp.

Pitch should have realized much sooner as to why Jack wanted his teeth so badly. It took longer than necessary for realization to dawn on him. Unbelievably obvious. _His memories_. Why would anyone be so desperate about regaining lost teeth? The boy made a mistake in allowing Pitch to see this weakness. Now that he joined in on the game, he was fair game and Pitch was going to use it to his advantage.

A shift in his shadows took him from his musing. It was Onyx. She snorted as she moved from the shadows and to his side. A soft snort came from her as she tapped her hoof on the ground. She had come to inform him that they were starting soon. Before Pitch could speak, she went on to report a certain frost child in the area.

Pitch smiled and ran his hand over her snout. "Good. Make sure to crush every single one of them. I'll keep the boy entertained," he told her. His nightmare gave him a parting look before running off to join the others. What could the boy possibly be doing here? That didn't matter. It was time to play with the new toy. Anticipation filled him as his frustration was nearly forgotten.

His fingertips danced over the top casing, pressing into the colored diamonds as he activated it bit by bit. "Call out… call out for your owner. I'm sure he'd like to be reunited with you," he whispered as the box glowed dully. He didn't need it to fully activate. He didn't want that boy's memories bouncing through his skull. He had enough on his mind as it was.

The case didn't need much encouragement before it started to call out in a young girl's voice. It chanted 'Jack' over and over with a sweet, chilling aspect. He chuckled as his mood lightened even more at the delightful reaction the voice caused toward the little fairies above. They squawked at him angrily. He wasn't sure on what they could be saying to him, but he doubted it was anything that could be used in polite conversation. "If only your mother could hear you now. I'm sure she'd be ashamed of the way you're speaking," he teased. Surprisingly, the chirping paused, shocking Pitch. He shot his head up and glared at the birds. Shy and guilty faces came into his line of sight. They really were speaking in such a way. "_Brats_," he grumbled before he moved himself into the shadows. He should kill them for their insolence. Who cared what would happen to the fairies' queen. Two Guardians would be fine enough for this world. Sanderson's and Toothiana's valiant sacrifice would be retold for centuries. He was sure North could come up with some epic tale for the two.

_Toothiana and Sanderson two self-sacrificing Guardians that risked their lives to put an end to the _Boogeyman's_ reign of terror for the next XXX years! Fruit cake?_ Pitch mused in North's voice. He sunk back into the shadows and awaited for his guest. He had no doubt that they boy could hear the calls, but he had to wonder if the boy could fight the subconscious pull.

He didn't have to wait long before a blue jacketed boy caught his eye. A cool breeze filled the caverns to where Pitch could even feel it in the shadows. Apparently he wasn't the only one to notice Jack's presence. Those annoying puff balls were already making their location known to the boy. That could cause some problems if any of those wretched creatures escaped. He urged the case to continue calling for the boy. Its voice called out desperately to the boy. At the call, the boy paused in his movement before pushing off from the cages without much hesitation. Pitch nearly laughed at how the boy jumped down into the golden piles and began to dig through them, tossing away any case that wasn't his. He even tossed his staff to the side.

Pitch silently watched until finally making his presence known. "Looking for something?" he called out teasingly from the shadows. The boy spun around, grabbing his staff and went on the attack. He shot ice at the shadows, coating the wall. Pitch laughed at the attack and moved away with Jack chasing the tails of his shadow through the twists and turns of his lair. It was almost exciting to have the boy chase after him with the false hope of capturing him. Small, sharp spikes of fear came from Jack as the shadows blocked his senses. He chuckled as he formed onto one of the bridges basked in light.

"Don't be afraid, Jack. I'm not gonna hurt you," Pitch crooned, not completely truthful. If push came to shove, he would hurt the boy. That was the horrors of war.

"Afraid? I'm not afraid of you," Jack said, putting up a brave front as he tightly clenched his staff in front of him.

Pitch had the urge to roll his eyes. The boy's fear may not be completely directed at him, but there was still a part of him that feared Pitch. Unfortunately it was clouded with anxieties, fear of being wrong, and fears of disappointing… "Maybe not…But you are afraid of something," he continued, allowing the boy his peace for the moment.

"You think so, huh?" Jack's fear was settling. The cool, crisp taste of his fear was no longer as potent as before. It was a bit disappointing how little the boy feared him. Maybe he should change that.

"I know so," Pitch laughed. "It's…the one thing I always know." His voice fell near the end of his sentence and continued to fall. "People's greatest fears." He stared off a second too long. He silently cursed himself and turned his attention back on Jack. "Yours is that no one will ever believe in you." He gave a short laugh and sent Jack flailing into the darkness. A small yelp came from the boy as he crash landed against the cold stone floor. "And worst of all, you're afraid you'll never know why… Why you?"

The boy ran through the darkness while Pitch lazily followed as the boy's fear picked up. "Why were you chosen to be like this?" he continued, allowing light to wash over the boy before stepping out himself. The boy's fear was nearly overwhelming at that moment. He could swear he could even hear the boy's heartbeat. "Well, fear not. For the answer to that is right here," he said as he held out the tooth container. "Do you want them, Jack? Your memories?"

It was amusing to watch as Jack reached out, wanting the case, but only to pull back in fear. Fear of the unknown. Fear of what the Guardians would think of him. _Delightful_. He left the boy with a cruel laugh and entered the shadows once again. "Everything you wanted to know, in this little box," he called out as he circled the boy through the shadows.

"Why did you end up like this? Unseen." _He's breaking._

"Unable to reach out to anyone…You want the answers so badly. You want to grab them and fly off with them. But you're afraid of what the Guardians will think." _He doesn't even know the trouble he is in. He shouldn't have entered a war that wasn't his to begin with._ Anger filled thoughts echoed in his mind.

"You're afraid of disappointing them. Well, let me ease your mind about one thing," he said as he kept his shadows circling the boy. "They'll never accept you. Not really." _They are just using you._

"Stop it. Stop it!" Jack cried out in pain as he backed out of the circling shadows and to the globe. It was impressive how he walked up the stairs backwards.

A twisted bit a pleasure filled Pitch at the sight of him breaking down more and more. It's not like there was much to break anyways. Even though guilt pulled at the corners of his mind, he had to firmly remind himself that the boy entered this fight on his own and he will pay for his stupidity. "After all, you're not one of them."

"You don't know what I am," Jack spoke with raw anger as he pointed his staff at him. Fear was still filling the boy as he put on a brave front.

Pitch smirked. "Of course I do! You're Jack Frost," he began lightly. "You make a mess wherever you go. Why, you're doing it right now." With that, he tossed Jack his tooth case, which he was so desperate to have.

The boy caught it easily before realization came across his face. "What did you do?" Dread poured off the boy.

"More to the point, Jack, what did you do?" he said, backing into the shadows for the final time. As Jack ran at him, his shadows swallowed Frost and sent him where he could see the damage of his choices. "Happy Easter, Jack," he called out, not caring to hear the boy's cry for his companion fairy whom he had forgotten about long before.

He hummed lowly as he returned to the globe, only to be hit with the strong aroma of chocolate. He ignored the smell and the happy little nightmares that pranced around him. His attention was more focused on the lights. They were going out.

Sorry for how late this is. I still have lots of homework to do, so I don't know when I'll put an update. Hopefully soon.


End file.
